Battery operated fan quesiton ?

In my Travel Trailer I'm set up for camping without electricity, I have 2 - 6 volt golf cart batteries they run everything in the RV.

I also have 2 fans that run on the USB port inside the camper that is connected to the batteries. These fans draw a total of 5 watt. This keeps me, the girlfriend, and the dog comfortable enough after dark when the temps in MN drop down anyway.

I bought a cheap pop up camper this winter and I'm planning on using it for a couple of trips this summer. I will be camping in it for 4-6 days at a time. This will just be me camping all by myslef. The pop up has no battery of any kind and I will be going camping at places without electricity. This old pop up has no systems anyway. It's just a tent on wheels. I don't want to spend a lot of money on the old thing.

I would like to run a fan at night for ventilation and white noise. One of the USB fans at 2.5 watt would be good enough but, 2 for a total of 5 watt would be better.

You can purchase portable power stations but, they cost probably close to 200 dollars, or more, for a decent one. That's a lot of money for something I'm only going to use twice to power a fan.

I've looked at battery powered fans (there is a dizzying amount of them) that can be as cheap as 35 bucks but, they never seem to run for more then about 5-6 hours and then take several hours, up to 8, plugged into the pickup the next day to recharge. Some of them require 115 volts to recharge. (My pickup does have a 115 volt outlet but, it's only powered when the engine is running. So that is not very convenient )

So, What I'm looking for a fan that moves some air, makes some noise, runs for 8 or more hours and can be charged back up in 2-4 hours. Is there such a thing ???

If not what can I use to run the USB fans for a affordable amount of money ? Could I take a car battery along and run the fan for several nights then recharge it in a few hours ??? It almost seems to be the cheapest way but, it would require me to drag along a old car battery and a car battery charger. That is not very convenient either.

Does anyone here have any experience with battery powered fans ? If not is there another forum you can recommend ?

I just can't decide which route to take.

Thank you and have a nice Day.

Seeking Advice

CA_Traveler
Explorer III
Mar 31, 2022
You could use 12V fans powered from the tow vehicle battery, connect to the battery or cig plug.
toedtoes
Explorer III
Mar 31, 2022
Do you plan on keeping the tent trailer for a while, I would say install a car battery on it and wire a couple usb ports in the trailer for the 2 fans. You could add another usb port or a 12v port (or a couple or a combination) for charging your cell phone, etc.
JimK-NY
Explorer II
Mar 31, 2022
Amazon has fans that run on 120v or D cell batteries. We actually picked up one that someone else threw away. According to Amazon it will run for 50+ hours on low speed and 20 some on high speed.

It takes 6 D cell batteries. You could use rechargeable batteries but I doubt that you would be able to recharge them in only 2 or 3 hours.
TurnThePage
Explorer
Mar 31, 2022
I have a couple of those USB charged fans with batteries. I'm very impressed so far. One is clip on, one is mounted on a tripod with twisty/grippy legs. Both of them can run straight from USB power as long as it's a 2 amp supply, and both claim an 8 hour run time. One of them is permanently mounted on my home bed providing just what you're asking for. One of the best fans I've ever purchased. More recently I added that one mounted on the tripod. I've been using it in battery mode for over a week to provide ventilation while I'm working out on an exercise machine. So far it still claims to be fully charged, and I've been using it on the medium setting.

I think one of those higher capacity phone charging battery units would easily keep a couple of these charged up, allowing you to enjoy a good night's sleep.
1320Fastback
Explorer
Mar 31, 2022
Runs for 10 hours on Low.

https://ryobitools.com/products/details/33287139606
StarkNaked
Explorer II
Mar 31, 2022
My solution is a portable fan with built in battery that is rechargeable from a USB plug. Charge it when there is engine power, or solar power.

We also have a small fan that takes two D cells, and a larger fan that takes six D cells (and has a 110V adapter).
Skibane
Explorer II
Mar 31, 2022
The Ryobi fan is powerful, but kind of noisy to sleep by.

It really needs a lower "LOW" speed than what it currently has.

Caveman Charlie wrote:
You can purchase portable power stations but, they cost probably close to 200 dollars, or more, for a decent one.

I don't think you have to pay anywhere near that much for a USB power bank that will run a couple of fans overnight.

For example, here's a 10 amp-hour model for $25.

Theoretically, that's big enough to supply 5 watts for 10 hours.

Instead of looking for something exotic with ultra-fast recharge, just buy two of them - and use one while the other is recharging.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Mar 31, 2022
JimK-NY wrote:
Amazon has fans that run on 120v or D cell batteries. We actually picked up one that someone else threw away. According to Amazon it will run for 50+ hours on low speed and 20 some on high speed.

It takes 6 D cell batteries. You could use rechargeable batteries but I doubt that you would be able to recharge them in only 2 or 3 hours.

So do Pilot, Love's and Flying-J Truck Stops.... Likely T/A as well.
I have one here in my bedroom. Though I run it on 12 volt since this apartment has a LOT of 12 volt (up to 80 amps) for other stuff that does not need all of that (needs 20)
Caveman_Charlie
Explorer II
Apr 01, 2022
Thanks for the solutions so far.
Caveman_Charlie
Explorer II
Apr 01, 2022
Skibane wrote:
The Ryobi fan is powerful, but kind of noisy to sleep by.

It really needs a lower "LOW" speed than what it currently has.

Caveman Charlie wrote:
You can purchase portable power stations but, they cost probably close to 200 dollars, or more, for a decent one.

I don't think you have to pay anywhere near that much for a USB power bank that will run a couple of fans overnight.

For example, here's a 10 amp-hour model for $25.

Theoretically, that's big enough to supply 5 watts for 10 hours.

Instead of looking for something exotic with ultra-fast recharge, just buy two of them - and use one while the other is recharging.

I didn't think that something like that would power the fan for long. For that price it's worth a try. And, then like you said use one each night and let the other power all day from the pickup battery. Thanks for the idea !